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Monday, June 29, 2015

41 Percent of Obamacare Silver Plans Have Small or X-Small Networks

New research sponsored by the pro-Obamacare Robert Wood Johnson Foundation confirms that Obamacare plans have limited access to physicians. The research defines a network as small if no more than 25 percent of physicians in an area are covered, and extra small if it covers less than 10 percent. The results:

The “narrowness” or size of a network can be quantified, and 41 percent of silver plan physician networks in the ACA marketplace are small or extra small.

While consumers are likely to select plans with low premiums, they are not fully aware of the characteristics of narrow networks.

Well-functioning narrow networks will survive only if their characteristics are communicated more clearly to consumers and they are regulated to ensure adequacy.

This paper is extremely well researched, especially given the obstacles facing the researchers.